The (almost) one-million-km Land Cruiser

The Land Cruiser in question was a company car bought in March 1984. Ruggero and Aurelio worked for their parents’ firm, RGC Engineering in Kew, Johannesburg. “The company did (and still does) a lot of work for the motor manufacturing industry so we bought it at a low cost from Toyota,” explains Ruggero, who has since retired from the company but still consults and is Manager of the Kew Action Group, where RGC Engineering is based. “The company bought the Land Cruiser from Lyndhurst Toyota and the Toyota Cressida was a manager’s vehicle from Toyota SA which I drove.”

A few years down the line Aurelio moved on to the 80 Series Land Cruiser and Ruggero was quick to put his hand up to take over the 60 Series. That was in 1999. Today Ruggero still uses it as his daily drive as well as for getaways to the bush, and the family can fill a book with the memories made with the iconic car.

What’s in a name? 

While the vehicle has never had a name as such, it was informally christened after a trip Ruggero and his wife Carole and the kids took to Mozambique. “We were driving in Mozambique and the roads were terrible. Many vehicles were getting stuck, but we were just cruising. We heard some locals shouting what sounded like, ‘Lando Cruise!’ [with the accent on the last letter as the Portuguese do, it sounded like Lando instead of Land]. It was such a moment and since then, whenever the kids talk about the car, they still call it Lando Cruise,” laughs Carole.

Beating the Sani Pass 

“There was a memorable trip up Sani Pass in 2014 before the road was tarred – it was just gravel and rocks. The condition was worsened by heavy rains before we arrived so the dongas were really deep, but we had full confidence that this magnificent monster would get us up,” says Carole. “There were, however, moments where I was like, ‘Stop. I’m getting out’. Eventually I did get out and walked while Ruggero continued to drive and gave me the opportunity to take some lovely photographs. We made it up the Pass and were able to cross into Lesotho. It was a magical trip.”

Nuts, bolts and fans  

“On the third day of a trip across the sandy trench ways of remote Mozambique, a caliper bolt snapped off, leaving us wondering if our entire vacation was ruined,” recounts Ulrico. “An irrationally optimistic 30-minute walk to the nearest tiny village in 38-degree heat resulted in us actually finding a Toyota caliper bolt in their makeshift hardware store, and we were back on the road within an hour. 

“My son went scrounging through the village and found a big drum full of bolts and believe it or not, we found two bolts that were exactly what we needed,” laughs Ruggero.  

This wasn’t the first time they managed to find spare parts in the middle of nowhere. On a trip through the Karoo, the fan perished. “We heard a noise, and the blades just flew off,” explains Ruggero. “It was probably still the original fan. Anyway, we stopped at a tiny little town where we found some guys that sold spares. It was a Friday afternoon and they were about to knock off, but said they had ‘someone down the road’ and sure enough they returned with a spare fan for a Toyota 76 series, which we were able to use. That fan is still working today.” 

Elephant encounters 

“If this car has got an affinity for anything, what do you think it would be?” Carole asks Ruggero. “Elephants,” he says immediately. 

It’s as though the vehicle attracts them, explains Carole of the many encounters they’ve had with pachyderms. “There was this notorious elephant in the Pilanesberg, named Steroid. He walked straight up to our car, stood in front of the bonnet and then came to my window – I could have touched him, he was 20cm away. I was quite anxious, but it was a situation where you just accept that if he’s going to put his tusk through the window, he will do that. It was too late to panic. There is a photograph of me with my head down. I didn’t even want to look. They are so big when they’re so close. His eyes… I just remember saying to him, ‘Buddy, we come in peace’.”  

“It happens a lot in Pilanesberg with us,” adds Ruggero. “On a recent trip, there was a family of elephants walking down the road and the matriarch came to my window and just stood there, calmly looking at us. It was almost like she was saying hello, and then she walked off. It was incredible,” says Ruggero.

Long live the Lando Cruise 

It goes without saying that the only way a vehicle can reach such a milestone is through regular servicing and Ruggero is a stickler for servicing the car annually and has kept it in fantastic condition.  

“I religiously do the maintenance,” says Ruggero. “We’ve been using Vinfra Motors, who serviced our company and private vehicles for years. Manny, who is now the owner, can tell me anything about the vehicle, like, ‘Oh yeah, remember about 15 years ago we changed that’.  I trust him completely.” 

He has still never had to change the clutch (“It’s taking up very high up now, but it’s still going fine, not slipping or anything”), but the motor is not the original. “The car originally had a 2H motor and then my brother decided he wanted to put a turbo on it, but you can’t put a turbo on the 2H. There was a guy selling a 1HZ motor and that was ideal, so it was converted to a turbo with a 1HZ motor.” 

It certainly sounds like the Cruiser will reach it’s millionth kilometre with ease. 

“A car that can do a million kilometres becomes so much more than a car, so much more than a good and safe investment. It’s not just about distance, it’s about the stories collected and the life experiences enabled by a car that can do this. It brings meaning to transport, and it has brought so much meaning to my family,” says Ulrico. “It is a veritable extension of our family.”

Ulrico’s partner Amy has also been bitten by the travel bug and all these years later, Daniela and her husband Nic mission regularly from the Cape to join the adventures.